After four busy days at Cartagena in Spain, the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing team is returning to the UK very satisfied after what Team Manager Philip Neill described as one if its most-productive tests ever.
All three riders learned a great deal about their new machinery for 2011 and not one of the team’s GSX-R machines missed a beat all week, despite accumulating the maximum amount of laps available on each of the four days.
New British Superbike recruit Josh Brookes put in a lot of hard work; not only did he ride a GSX-R1000 Superbike for the first time this week, but he tested an extensive range of different settings, engine specifications and even rode three different machines. It was vital for the team to make the most of the opportunity and allow Brookes to gain as much knowledge as possible. A testing procedure of this nature can be difficult for some riders as they never really get the chance to settle, but Brookes worked hard and only really started to push towards the end of the final session on Sunday.
Team Manager Philip Neill said: “To see Josh finish comfortably faster than his best-ever time at this circuit is very encouraging indeed.”
Guy Martin also completed an enormous amount of work riding Superbike, Superstock and the all-new GSXR600 Supersport machinery. Again it was vital for Martin to understand all the different options available to him on the Superbike, as, once the International Road Racing season is underway, the opportunities for testing are limited.
On Martin’s performance Neill said: “I’m quietly confident that Guy has already found a comfortable set up with his new bikes. He also carried out some productive tyre tests with Pirelli and everyone involved with TAS Racing is looking forward to helping Guy enjoy a very successful season.”
Seeley immediately gelled with the 2011 GSX-R600 and continued to make good progress over the four days. The team is now looking forward to seeing the new bike hit the track for the first time; even though it is still at stage one in terms of development. It was also encouraging to see Seeley show the true potential of the GSX-R1000 Superstock Suzuki, which carried him to the national title in 2009.
Neill added: “This test not only provided an opportunity for Alastair to ride his British Supersport machine for the first time; he was also able to reacquaint himself with a brand new GSX-R1000, which he will campaign at the NW200 and perhaps even selected rounds of the National Superstock series.”
With plenty of time to go before the opening round of the BSB Championship at Brands Hatch on April 25th, the team will now begin the long journey back to their workshop in Northern Ireland in a positive mood. Further tests will take place during March at selected British championship circuits.
